abc's of cumber land island

8/3/2019 ABC's of Cumber Land Island

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Cumberland Island, GA

Description: Established in 1972

and managed by the National

Park Service, Cumberland IslandNational Seashore protects

sparkling white beaches and sand

dunes, freshwater lakes, and

saltwater marshes. At 36,545

acres, it is Georgia's largest and

southernmost barrier against

seaborne storms. The island

measures about 16 miles in length

and 3 miles at its widest, withapproximately 1 mile of water

and marshland separating it from

the mainland. A maritime forest

is the centerpiece of the island,

providing shade for the deer that

attract hunters. Attractions

include the ruins of Thomas

Carnegie's Dungeness Mansion,

built in the late 1800s, a short

walk from the ferry dock on thesouthern end of the island.

Alligators, loggerhead turtles, and

pelicans live on the beaches. The

northern portion of the island, has

been designated Wilderness,

starting approximately four miles north of the ferry dock (you have to take a

passenger ferry to get here from the mainland). The island is home to

amazing wild horses that run up and down the beaches.


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In the lower areasbetween the older duneridges are freshwaterand brackish pondswhere alligators, frogs,

snakes, turtles, minks,and otters spend a largepart of their lives.Cottonmouth snakes arecommon. The pondsserve as an importantoasis for a wide varietyof bird, mammal, andamphibian species thattravel to the source offresh water. Theshallow, 83-acre Whitney Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes on Georgia'sbarrier islands.

As one breaks out of the green dome of the forest onto the dunes and beach, ittakes a moment to adjust to the blinding light reflected off the white sands of thedunes. Only the toughest plants, such as Russian thistle, sea oats, beach elder,and orach, have adapted to survive the shifting sands, salt spray, fierce winds,and desiccating sun of the dune and beach. One thing they can't survive is grazingby Cumberland's popular feral horses, which destroys the stability of the dunesand causes erosion. Dunes on Cumberland can be spectacular, with some as highas 40 feet. At the wrack line, ghost crabs pick over marsh reeds and other detritusthat has floated in at high tide. Closer to the wash line,small creatures such as

worms, mole crabs, and ghost shrimp live in burrows in the sand. Thousands ofsandpipers, sanderlings and other shorebirds dodge waves as they probe for thesetasty tidbits. During raptor migration in October, bird watchers may see a varietyof hawks and peregrine falcons. Soaring above the beach and dunes may bevultures, hawks, and bald eagles. The entire island is on the Colonial CoastBirding Trail, as more than 277 species of birds have been identified onCumberland Island. The island's long, deserted beaches are the most attractiveon the Georgia coast to loggerhead turtles, which have averaged 198 nests a yearin the last 10 years.

Did you know that the average life of an Armadillo is 13 years?

Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning little armored one They sleep 16 hrs a day and eat beetles ants and termites
http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/sidebars/smaller_creatures.htmlhttp://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/sidebars/smaller_creatures.htmlhttp://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/sidebars/smaller_creatures.htmlhttp://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/sidebars/smaller_creatures.html


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Palmettos

Roller Coaster trail, south of Lake Whitney


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Morning Sunlight through Live Oak

Exotic Praying Mantis


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Monarch on Marigold

Yellow Rat Snake


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Gobbler Calling

The Queen

White deer, Cumberland Island. I've been photographing this individual for around 10-12 years (although this was the closest I've ever gotten to her-- it was nearly dark, and I

had my tripod set up behind a tree, waiting to see her). Every other year or so she or her

offspring have another white deer fawn or two.


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"Defending the Nest"

This Burrowing Owl and its mate were fiercely defending their nest, which was anabandoned gopher tortoise hole in the ground. A few minutes after I took this, 2 cute little

owlets emerged from the hole, just briefly. These owls might be small, but I could tell

that this one meant business

"Water Ballet"

This Reddish Egret was giving me a great performance, chasing fish around and then

stopping momentarily to preen itself, displaying perfect balance and grace


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Ibis in flight, Cumberland Island, GA.

Wild turkey with full fan. Photo taken on Cumberland Island, GA.


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Fence Lizard

Someone with very sharp eyes spotted this fence lizard clinging to a tree trunk. He stayedvery still in hopes that we would not notice him, even while I was clicking away with the

camera.

Gelsemium sempervirens, or Carolina Yellow Jessamine, is a plant that every trellis

should have. The stunning evergreen climber can reach over 20 feet in height. The yellow

fragrant flower blooms from late winter into spring for about 4 weeks.

The smell of the bloom = AMAZING. Carolina Yellow Jessamine is very easy to grow. It

prefers moist but well drained soils, and can grow in full sun or part shade. A minor

disappointment about the plant- ALL parts are of the plant poisonous.

A nice fast growing evergreen woody

vine (twining to 20' or more) with fragrant yellow flowers that appear in late winter orearly spring. Variety 'Plena' has double-flowers. In north Florida, blooming Carolina

jasmine is one of our first signs of spring. Can also be used as a ground or bank cover. It

can add color and light fragrance to entryways and patios and is often seen spilling over


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walls or cascading down the sides of containers. Plant can become top heavy so needs to

be tied to trellis or fence. Prune after winter blooming. Hardy to 15 degrees F. This plant

has numerous therapeutic uses, although extreme care should be taken as all parts of theplant are considered toxic and potentially fatal if ingested. All parts of this plant contain

the strychnine related alkaloids gelsemine and gelseminine and should not be consumed.

The sap may cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals

Edelweiss Flowers Blooming

Among Rocks
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/1172854.jpghttp://affiliates.art.com/get.art?T=15032837&A=849811&L=8&P=13934171&S=2&Y=0


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Z is for.

Goose-beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) Not assessed

Only a partial skull has been recovered from Cumberland Island along with one specimen from Little

Cumberland Island. Distribution is worldwide and goosebeaked whales are year-round residents in the Gulf

of Mexico.

N is for.

Evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) Not assessed

During the summer, evening bats enter abandoned houses on the island and are known to roost in tree

cavities as well. In more northern parts of their range, they migrate south for the winter.

Q is for Queen Bee


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Borage flower and a busy bee.

The bees and other insects are active around the garden lately; trees are budding and

flowering everywhere within sight. The keeper of our active hive at Greyfield Gardenstopped by the other day and shared some interesting information about bees. He talked

to us about the South African Hive Beetle and shared tips about handling and keepingbees.
http://cumberland.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/p4110506-e1271521244132.jpghttp://cumberland.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/p5291095.jpg


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The cardinal is one of many birds on Cumberland island. Did you know that the malebirds are the red birds and the females are fluffy brown color. The cardinal is the state

bird of 7 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West

Virginia.

R is for

DESCRIPTION: Also called S. iberica and S. kali. Exotic (from Russia in 1870s) Annualto 4'. Flowers small, whitish, without petals, and they grow at the base of upper leaves.

After maturing, the flowers enlarge, dry, and cover small fruit. Leaves age to become

awl-shaped and sharp to 2" long. Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot) Family.

NATURAL HISTORY: Flowers bloom May to October. Plant dries into ball that breaksoff at base and blows in the wind (tumbleweed), scattering seeds. Although called a

thistle, it is not (thistles are in the Compositae/Sunflower family).

U is for Ulmus americana, generally known as the American Elm or, less commonly,

as the White Elm or Water Elm,[2] is a species native to easternNorth America,

occurring fromNova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Florida and

central Texas. The American elm is an extremely hardy tree that can withstand wintertemperatures as low as 42 C (44 F). Trees in areas unaffected by Dutch elm disease

can live for several hundred years. A prime example of the species was the Sauble Elm,

[3] which grew beside the banks of the Sauble Riverin Ontario, Canada, to a height of 43m (140 ft), with a d.b.h of 196 cm (6.43 ft) before succumbing to Dutch elm disease;

when it was felled in 1968, a tree-ring count established that it had germinated in 1701.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana#cite_note-1%23cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Scotiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albertahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsiushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana#cite_note-2%23cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauble_River_(Ontario)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontariohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diameter_at_breast_heighthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana#cite_note-1%23cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Scotiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albertahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsiushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana#cite_note-2%23cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauble_River_(Ontario)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontariohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diameter_at_breast_height


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Ulmus americana (American Elm) at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Img_ulmus_americana_2209.jpg

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